Thunder Horse Heritage. Elle James

waved a hand. “We’re okay, just shaken.”

      “Stay put.” Tuck jumped out of the cart and dived into the jet boat. He groped for the ignition switch, praying the owner had been stupid enough to leave it there. “Damn.” No key.

      He hopped out and into the ski boat beside it. A fat foam miniature buoy dangled from a key in the ignition. Tuck glanced up the path toward the casino. The silhouettes of three men raced toward them.

      “Get in!” Tuck revved the engine, leaned over the side and unhooked the ropes tying the boat to the dock.

      In seconds Julia was on her feet, racing for the boat.

      Tuck reached out to capture her beneath her arms and swung her and Lily into the boat.

      A soft popping sound was followed by wooden splinters flying off the dock into Tuck’s face. He ducked low and shifted the boat into Reverse, pulling the lever all the way back. The ski boat roared out of the slip, backing away from the marina as fast as Tuck could make it go. When they were well away from the shooters, he trimmed the engine down at the same time as he spun the boat around and shoved the shift forward. The boat tipped nose up and plowed the water until it picked up enough speed so that the front dropped down and they skimmed along at forty-five knots.

      For the first time in what felt like hours, Tuck breathed. He knew they didn’t have long to get ahead. The thugs would find another boat with keys in it or hot-wire one and be on their tail soon. The farther away from the marina they got, the better. Tuck risked flipping the lights on to check the fuel gauge and groaned. Damn, less than a quarter of a tank. That wouldn’t get them far.

      He’d have to find someplace to ditch the boat and hide or get out and make a run across land. His gaze moved to the woman in the seat beside him.

      “Are you two all right?”

      “Yes, thank goodness.” Julia had thrown back her shawl to check on Lily. The baby snuggled against her mother, her fist bunched in the fabric of Julia’s shirt.

      A swell of pride filled Tuck’s chest at the same time as an overwhelming fear knotted his gut. “See if you can find life vests for the both of you. They might be under the bench seats.” He didn’t add that the vests could be necessary in case the boat tipped over or a fast turn threw them both into the lake.

      How the hell was he going to keep them safe with men shooting at them? With very little gas to keep the engine going, they couldn’t stay on the lake long. Had he chosen the wrong route? Would they have been better off trying to get out by car?

      Second-guessing would get him nowhere. They had enough gas to get somewhere. There had to be campgrounds on the lake.

      Tuck didn’t dare slow down. He held the wheel as steady as he could while Julia moved about the boat, searching the cubbies beneath the seats and locating life vests to fit both Tuck and herself. She even found a small child’s vest. Unfortunately it was still far too big to fit Lily.

      “Put yours on first,” Tuck said.

      Julia laid the baby on the backseat while she slipped her arms into her vest and tightened the straps and buckles around her middle. Then she strapped the ill-fitting vest onto Lily, tying it around her snugly enough to keep it from falling off and the baby afloat should they hit the water.

      All the while, Tuck kept a watch behind them, not that he could see much. The night sky was filled with millions of stars, but without a full moon, the inky-black lake, churning in the North Dakota wind, revealed nothing.

      Until the bad guys caught up with them, Tuck wouldn’t be able to see them. By then it would be too late.

      Carrying the bundled Lily, Julia moved up to the seat beside Tuck. “She’s not very happy, but it can’t be helped.” The mother fixed her worried gaze on the baby in her arms, squirming against the straps.

      Tuck’s chest tightened. He could do nothing more than what he was to make their burden lighter. “Keep a lookout for campgrounds, trailers, tents, RVs. We have to get off the lake soon.”

      Julia glanced up at him, her forehead dented in a frown. “Why?”

      “We don’t have enough fuel to outrun them for long.”

      “Gotcha. I’m looking.” Her head swiveled as she peered through the windshield. “You’ll have to get closer to the shore for me to see anything.”

      Tuck struggled with which bank of the river-fed lake to cling to, finally settling on the east side, the boat skimming the surface and the flat North Dakota land stretching into the darkness.

      This was only the second time in Tuck’s life he’d been scared of anything. The first being less than two months ago during a raid. He, his brother Pierce and Tuck’s best friend and fellow FBI agent Mason Carmichael had been assisting the ATF. Tuck had let Mason down, allowing his buddy to walk into a trap by entering the building they suspected contained a militia group’s cache of drugs and weapons.

      The ensuing explosion had thrown Tuck and Pierce back several yards, knocking the breath out of them and giving them both mild concussions, but keeping them away from the worst of the flames. The ATF team and Mason had died along with the members of the militia inside.

      He’d watched as Mason died in Pierce’s arms, knowing he could have stopped him from going into that warehouse. His worst fear now was that he would fail Julia and Lily.

      He couldn’t let that happen.

      “There!” Julia pointed to the shore a quarter mile ahead. “What’s that?”

      As they moved steadily closer, Tuck made out the outline of a playground set complete with swings, slides and teeter-totters. Behind it were neat rows of travel trailers, RVs and tents. A yellow light glowed over a shower building at the center.

      He eased the steering wheel to the right, bringing the boat closer to the shore.

      Other boats were grounded on the water’s edge or anchored a few feet out. Tuck passed the campground.

      “Aren’t we going to stop and find a car?” Julia asked, her head swiveling, looking behind them.

      “Yeah, but we can’t pull in too close, or someone will see us.” Tuck drove the boat straight for the shore north of the campground.

      Julia touched his arm. “Aren’t you going to stop? We’re going to run aground.”

      “That’s the idea.” The bottom of the boat skimmed across sand and gravel, coming to a stop in two feet of water. “You two get out and wait on the shore for me.”

      Julia shed her vest, gathered her backpack, untied the baby from her life vest and carried her to the front of the boat. When she was ready, she sat on the edge. “What are you going to do?”

      “We can’t leave the boat here. If the guys chasing us recognize it, they’ll know this is where we stopped.” He held out his arms for Lily. “Want me to go first and help you two down?”

      “No, it’s better if I go first, while you hold Lily.”

      Julia handed the baby girl to Tuck and turned, sliding over the edge into the icy water. As her feet hit bottom, she lost her footing for a second and staggered, arms flailing.

      “Careful,” Tuck called out, frustrated that he couldn’t help, the baby firmly tucked into the crook of his arm.

      Julia tipped and fell on her back in the water. She struggled to get her feet under her, the backpack and her shawl weighing her down. Finally, she managed to stand straight, water dripping from every part of her body, her hair hanging like limp ropes in her face.

      “Thank goodness you had Lily.” Her teeth chattered. “The water is icy cold.” She moved closer to the boat, easing her way along the sandy bottom. When she was abreast of the bow, she reached up for Lily.

      “Are you sure you’re okay?” Tuck held the baby out of her reach.